LESSON FOUR - FURTHER INFORMATION
Knowledge leads to confidence, which often leads to action. As you learn more about different aspects of IRM, you will become more comfortable practicing it and be able to make better decisions.
LEARING FROM OTHERS
Attending field days, demonstrations, or tours allows you to meet people and see activities first hand. Field tours are often on woodlots owned by people who practice IRM. Talking to these landowners and seeing their work is a great way to learn.
There are many woodlot owners in Nova Scotia who have practiced integrated resource management for years. The following are brief examples of nine of them. They are provided as a source of ideas and potential contacts if you have similar goals. Some of them have been recognized by the Nova Scotia Woodlot Owner of the Year Program. For more information on this program, contact your local Department of Natural Resources office.
Jim runs a farm and woodlot business adjacent to Crown land, near Falmouth. He has done a lot of harvesting on Crown land and would like to participate in an IRM plan for the Crown land next to his woodlots that surround his. Most of the harvesting Jim does is partial cutting (thinning) which encourages natural regeneration while maintaining wildlife habitat and conditions for recreation. |
Phil values his woodlot for recreation for his family and friends. Accordingly, he has set aside a gorge of large white pine and eastern hemlock along a small stream as a special place for his family to enjoy. Friends and family often hike and ski on his woodlot. In addition, he has a circular mill which he uses to saw wood and to do custom sawing for others. The mill supplements the income he is able to get from his woodlot |
George has an integrated operation his property that allows for hiking, skiing, harvesting, milling, and wildlife. Harvesting forms a big part of his woodlot business, but not at the expense of wildlife. In addition to leaving lots of cavity trees and snags, he intends to maintain 10 per cent of his woodlots in a natural state, particularly to benefit wildlife. Another of his goals is to maintain and restore long-lived species of the Acadian Forest Region. He is doing this by creating conditions for species that can grow in the shade (eg. red spruce) to regenerate. |
 Jim Drescher, Lunenburg County (902) 543-0122 E-mail: Windhors@fox.nstn.ca Jim runs the "Ecoforestry School in the Maritimes" which experiments in holistic forestry education. The setting for the school is Windhorse Farm, located near New Germany. It is a 150-year-old example of sustainability. From the time the first Europeans settled this spot, the woodlot has been managed according to a particular set of principles and practices. During that time it has been logged nearly every year without diminishing the standing crop of timber or degrading the functional integrity of the forest. Jim's forestry and wood working operation includes selection harvesting, sawmilling, kiln drying, and spaciality wood products. The "value added" aspect greatly enhances the economic viability of the woodlot. |
Rex and his family integrate Christmas tree production, sugar maple management, farming, public tours, hunting, and fishing on the woodlot. He constantly tries to improve the woodlot for wildlife, recreation, and income. Rex is the fourth generation to manage the woodlot and has his children involved in the activities as well. After winning the 1995 Nova Scotia Woodlot Owner of the Year Award, Rex was featured on the cover of the Harrowsmith magazine. The magazine took an in depth look at how Rex and his family manage their property. |
Mary uses integrated pest management to encourage beneficial insects and control insects that damage her Christmas trees. She has even planted companion plants to attract beneficial insects. She is constantly experimenting and trying new techniques to produce better quality trees and is active in the Christmas tree industry. She manages the remainder of her family's woodlot for timber, wildlife, berries, fishing, and hiking. Their camp provides a place to make Christmas wreathes and is a source of relaxation on the woodlot. |
Dave is a strong supporter of woodlot recreation and has interpretive trials developed on his woodlot to allow the public to walk or ski at their leisure. A log cabin in Irwin Lake provides a means of personal relaxation and enjoyment for Dave and his family. He also has a fish pond and a covered bridge on his property and may eventually build additional cabins for rent. He thinks these would enhance the use of the trails he has developed. In addition, Dave operates a sawmill to enhance the value he gets from wood products on his woodlot. Most of his wood for the mill comes from thinnings from his woodlot. |
Blaise's woodlot is on the Southwest Mabou River and provides a setting for a variety of personal recreation, including swimming, fishing, hunting, and snowmobiling. Near the river, Blaise even has a stage and a field that he has used for family reunions. Further in the woods, his log cabin adds to the pleasure his woodlot provides. Blaise is involved with the local snowmobile club which has trails that cross his land and adjacent woodlots. Blaise also sells wood products and gravel from his woodlot. He has built innovative equipment to get the wood to roadside where he processes much of it into firewood. Following gravel production, the areas are put back into forest production by bringing in top soil and planting. |
Perry has developed a year-round business from 340 hectares of woodland. To make a living from that, he had to diversify into several operations. These include Christmas trees, hunting, guiding, and maple syrup production. Perry first used his maple syrup cabin to bunk his guiding clients, but over time the lodge also serves as a dining room for maple syrup products. It is known as Mountain Maple Lodge. Perry manages his woodlots for wildlife first, but encourages other uses that help meet this goal. He has had a series of patch cuts done that left hardwood and clumps of trees behind to improve habitat for grouse and woodcock. He harvests to create edge and early succession conditions for the benefit of some wildlife species. His woodlot roads are built with aesthetics in mind which is important for his guiding clients. |
Jim Bremner, Hants County 
Phil Clarke, Antigonish County 
George Chisholm, Digby County 
Rex Veinot, Lunenburg County 
Mary van den Heuvel, Antigonish County 
Dave Loughead, Colchester County 
Blaise Moran, Inverness County 
Perry Munroe, Kings County These dedicated landowners manage their woodlots with the future in mind. They strive to ensure that their operations are sustainable and have a variety of goals for their land. They have a good understanding of how their activities affect the land. As well, they all live on or near their woodlots and are active in the forest community.
PUBLICATIONS, VIDEOS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND SOFTWARE
For some, learning in the comfort of home from books, videos, or the Internet works great. That is the intent of home study modules and books. There are many sources for this information including libraries, government offices, and private companies.
Software
The US Forest Service has produced an excellent software program that helps landowners choose management options to meet their goals. The Forest Stewardship Planning Guide takes you through a process of determining your goals for a variety of values. It then gives you management options that will help you reach those goals. It also produces a matrix that indicates which goals are complementary and those which are conflicting. The Guide also provides lots of information on various topics.
The software can be downloaded at: http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/burlington/ne4454.htm or call (802) 951-6771, fax (802)951-6368, or write to:
USDA Forest Service Northeastern Forest Experiment Station
705 Spear Street, P.O. Box 968
Burlington, VT 05402-0968
Exercise 8: List some resources that would be useful for you to learn from (eg. people, library, Internet home pages, etc.)